America's fastest-growing job is booming in Colorado
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Colorado is a top spot for the nation's fastest-growing field: wind energy.
Zoom in: North Dakota (22.3), South Dakota (20.4) and Colorado (13.4) lead the U.S. in wind energy-related jobs per 10,000 residents as of last year.
- That's according to the latest U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report and 2023 census data.
Why it matters: Wind turbine service technician is the hottest job in the country, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 60% growth between 2023 and 2033.
The big picture: Colorado's renewable energy scene has been gaining momentum for years, ranking seventh per capita nationwide for wind and solar generation projects last year, according to climate research nonprofit Climate Central.
Driving the news: This week, Colorado's National Renewable Energy Laboratory partnered with RES — the world's largest independent renewables company whose U.S. headquarters is in Denver — to roll out "Dynamic Yaw" technology to help optimize the performance of wind turbines.
- The tech is designed to make the turbines more efficient by allowing them to share data and work together, boosting overall performance.
- This method essentially adds the power of one to three extra wind turbines to a wind farm of 100 turbines, all thanks to better management and controls, RES leaders said.
What they're saying: "The renewables industry is on the cusp of widespread digitalisation," Alex Bamberger, vice president of digital solutions at RES, said in a statement.
- "This technology isn't a science project anymore," he added. "It's real and able to help customers reach net zero much faster."
Reality check: While wind turbine tech jobs are taking off, the total number is still relatively small. According to BLS, there were 1,400 positions nationwide as of 2023, compared to 349,600 nurse practitioners, another top-growth job.
The bottom line: Wind and solar — another burgeoning field — increasingly look like safe career bets, especially with strong support from the federal government.